Lit Up by My Brother’s Best Friend (Lit Creek #1)

Chapter 7

SIERRA

It was too perfect. He is too perfect. Everything about last night was too perfect. Okay. Minus the little snafu with the fence.

It’s just all too perfect, and I’m panicking. It’s true that I’ve barely woken up, but as my eyes crinkle open, I can just tell that something is off. I mean, my whole life (basically) I’ve thought that Hunter is too cool for me, too good for me, and then one magical night everything changes. Nuh uh. That only happens in fairy tales. Not real life. And certainly not my real life.

But when I stretch out onto my bed, I feel that Hunter is still there. That’s a good sign.

Then again, after he took me on the couch a few times, he fulfilled his promise of making me come on his tongue. In my bed. Two more times. Oh my God. Like I said, it’s just too perfect. It can’t last.

Hunter groans beside me. “Morning, Sweets.” He presses a lingering kiss into my hair. Thankfully, since I’m not a huge fan of morning kisses until I’ve brushed my teeth.

RING.

RING.

RING .

“Just a sec,” I say to Hunter while I dismiss the call without looking at the caller.

RING.

RING.

RING.

“Maybe you should answer that.” He grins at me. Clasping his hands behind his head, he leans back as if he has all the time in the world.

I check the caller ID and see that it’s my brother.

“Okay, maybe I should. It’s Wyatt.”

I turn to answer the call but when I roll back to tell Hunter that I’ll just be a minute, I see that he’s gotten up to go to the washroom.

“Sierra?” I hear Wyatt’s voice, and it almost sounds frantic. “Where have you been? Why haven’t you answered my calls?”

“What calls?”

“All thirty six of them.” Ooooh. He sounds a smidgeon upset.

“Thirty six?”

“Yes, Sierra. Thirty six. What’s going on? Are you alright?”

“Yes, I’m fine. What are you worried about?”

He couldn’t possibly have heard about me and Hunter. And even if he did, he wouldn’t be mad about it. Would he? I mean, he’s a protective older brother, but Hunter is his best friend and he’s a good man. There’s nothing to protect me from.

“You texted Georgie last night needing help.”

“Oh ya…about that. I called Hunter. He helped me out.” And then some.

“You called Hunter?” He sounds really upset.

“Yes. It’s not a big deal.”

“Let me in.”

“What?”

“I’m at your front door. Let me in. I want to see that you’re alright.”

“Oh my God, Wyatt. You’re being—”

“Open the door now or I’ll bust it down.”

“Fine. I’m coming.” What the hell crawled up his butt and died?

I wrap my bathrobe around my body and open the front door. Wyatt is furious.

“What’s wrong?”

“You should have called me. I was worried.”

“I’m fine.”

“So you keep saying.”

“Just sit down and I’ll tell you everything over coffee. You’ll probably laugh. Trust me.”

He just grunts in response. I’ve never seen him so worked up.

“I’ll just go grab Hunter to see if he wants breakfast.”

“He’s here?” my brother shouts.

“Oh my God, Wyatt. Please.” But I walk out of the room to get Hunter before Wyatt has a hernia.

That’s strange. Hunter’s clothes aren’t on the ground, and the bathroom is open.

“Hunter?”

No answer.

“Hunter?”

“Where is he?” Wyatt grumbles.

“He was just here.” I’m numb. Did Hunter actually leave without saying anything? I can’t think straight. My emotions are clouding over. I don’t understand what’s happening except that he’s not here. I knew it was too perfect.

The second he heard that it was Wyatt who was calling me, he left. He’s embarrassed to be with me, his friend’s little sister. He doesn’t really want me .

Oh my God, I’m such an idiot.

Wyatt’s saying shit but I really have no idea what he’s talking about. It sure as hell isn’t words that are coming out his mouth.

I have to sit down.

Screw that. I’m not sitting down and moping. I have to go to work. My bakery is open today.

I snuck into a concert last night—nearly, and I played spin the bottle. So now I’m good on the risk-taking. And what I mean by that is, I’ve checked off a few Never Have I Evers and I probably don’t need to worry about any others. Taking risks sucks.

Hell, I just took one of the biggest risks of my life by sleeping with Hunter. Look how that turned out.

So ya, me and my sweet bakery? We’re good.

On my walk to work, I shoot a text to Georgie.

Me: If you’re back early, have lunch with me.

Georgie: I almost went back with Wyatt, but he told me I should stay. I listened to him for about twenty minutes, but I’m on my way back now. Lunch is on.

Me: *smiley face*

But really…sad face.

I push a snickerdoodle into my mouth. They always cheer me up. Okay. They usually cheer me up. Apparently being ditched by your fantasy hot man stud surpasses the threshold of comfort and healing that a snickerdoodle can offer.

By lunch I’m a zombie, and my single employee, Amber, is annoyed with me. She’s never been irritated with me before. We clicked right away after I watched her bake and wash her hands after cracking an egg into the batter. I mean there are really only two kinds of people that rub me the wrong way. One, people who add salt to their food before they eat it. And two, people who wipe their hands directly on a towel after cracking an egg. Like, wash them. Please. That’s raw egg. Anyway, we clicked because she does neither of those two things. Oh ya, and she’s the most creative and industrious woman I know. She designs and makes her own t-shirts, and she’s got three kids. I don’t know how she does it, but I’m glad I’ve got her. So needless to say, she’s been with me since basically day one.

But today she’s annoyed with me, and she’s telling me to take inventory. Of what? I don’t know. She didn’t give me instructions. Basically she said, find something to count because you’re depressing the customers.

And that’s why Georgie finds me in the storage closet counting bundles of paper towels aloud. But with no notes.

I feel a light tap on my shoulder. “Sierra?” Her voice is so caring. She’s such a good friend. “What happened, hunnie?”

And I can’t hold it in. I tell her everything. Probably too much since by the end of the retelling I realize I’ve even mentioned the junior high party where I skipped out on spin the bottle because I was too nervous. Anyway, she’s here for it all. And I love her for it.

“Hunnie, it’s ok. I don’t think Hunter would just skip out like that. Have you called him?”

“Why would I? He left without saying anything. He obviously doesn’t want to talk.”

“I don’t think so,” she’s saying as she moves me into my back office where I see she’s brought sandwiches. God, I love this girl.

“What makes you say that?”

“He’s been in love with you forever.”

“What?”

“You didn’t know?”

“Of course not. ”

“Really?” she seems genuinely surprised. “He’s not that great at hiding it.”

“To me, he is.”

“Give him a chance to explain, Sierra. I’m sure he has a good reason.”

“It better be a fire.”

Georgie gasps. “You don’t mean that.”

And that’s when I break down. “Oh my God, I’m a terrible person, Georgie. I can’t believe I said that. Who am I?” I’m sobbing into her shoulder.

“Love is always a risk, hunnie,” she says soothingly as she rubs my back.

And it hits me. I wipe my face and I step back from her embrace. “You’re right, Georgie. I’ve been willing to take all these stupid risks, but I haven’t been willing to take the greatest risk of all. I need to know what’s going on.”

“Ya, you do!”

“I’m going to go find him and demand an answer. Then I’ll know. Then I can move on.” For better or for worse.